Harvard to no longer comment on issues outside of ‘core function’

The announcement follows nationwide pro-Palestinian protests
Harvard: Statements outside of ‘core function’ jeopardize ‘integrity’
Last week, hundreds of students walked out of Harvard commencement

Updated: May 29, 2024 / 05:05 PM CDT

A student holds up the flag of Palestine as the 13 students, who have been barred from graduating due to protest activities, are recognized by a student address speaker during the commencement in Harvard Yard at Harvard University, Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

(NewsNation) — Harvard will no longer be commenting or issuing official statements about “public matters that do not directly affect the university’s core function,” according to a statement from the university.

“It reasons that when the University ‘speaks officially on matters outside its institutional area of expertise,’ such statements risk compromising the ‘integrity and credibility’ of our academic mission and may undermine open inquiry and academic freedom by making ‘it more difficult for some members of the community to express their views when they differ from the university’s official position,’” the announcement reads in part.

The policy shift comes amid nationwide campus demonstrations protesting Israel and the United States’ handling of the war in Gaza.

Last week, hundreds of students in graduation robes walked out of the Harvard commencement on Thursday chanting “Free, free Palestine” after weeks of protests on campus and a day after the school announced that 13 Harvard students who participated in a protest encampment would not be able to receive diplomas alongside their classmates.

Some students chanted, “Let them walk, let them walk” during Thursday’s commencement, referring to allowing those 13 students to get their diplomas along with fellow graduates.